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After months of speculation about its opening date, Skull Island: Reign of Kong opens today. The announcement was made by NBC's "Today" show host Al Roker on Wednesday.

The ride has been in technical rehearsals for several weeks. An employee there said the ride will open sometime Wednesday afternoon.

A segment about Skull Island: Reign of Kong is scheduled to air on the "Today" show today between 10 a.m and 11 a.m. on WESH-2.

Clocking in at almost 6 minutes, the 3-D ride with a massive 72-passenger ride vehicle is one of the longest ride experiences ever created at Universal.

Skull Island: Reign of Kong is located at the Islands of Adventure park between Toon Lagoon and Jurassic Park.

The ride begins on an island with prehistoric creatures of unknown origin. Riders are part of the 8th Wonder Expedition Company, a research team leading the adventure. Teams on specially designed vehicles travel deeper into the mysterious island, which is home to Kong.

During the ride, guests will come "face to face" with King Kong and will get "so close they'll feel his breath sweep across their skin and his thunderous roar reverberate through every bone in their body," according a release from Universal Orlando

The new ride is Universal's second time highlighting the world of King Kong. When Universal Studios opened in 1990, Kongfrontation was one of the park's main attractions.

Skull Island: Reign of Kong is the largest addition to Islands of Adventure since 2010 when the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened.

Kongfrontation, based on the 1976 "King Kong" film, closed in 2002 to make way for the Revenge of the Mummy ride.